Lunasia Dim Sum House [Torrance]

[strongoxman]

I’m going to keep this one short, but just know that the newest Lunasia location in Torrance (replacing the previous Happy/Little Sheep spot in Rolling Hills Plaza) is rock-solid dim sum in the South Bay. About time! They still seem a little slow, perhaps working on some kinks, but I went with my parents to celebrate Lunar New Year last Sunday. Many hits, only one miss (), and several that were true highlights ():

Beef Tripe w/ Scallion Sauce

Scallop Dumpling w/ Squid Juice

Jumbo Shrimp Har-Gow

Sticky Rice Wrap

Pan-fried Turnip Cake

Pan-fried Bun w/ Crab Meat

Siu-Mai w/ Caviar

Shrimp Eggroll

Chinese Broccoli w/ Oyster Sauce

Salted Egg Yolk Bun

Rice Noodle Roll w/ Shrimp

Spinach Shrimp Dumpling

Marinated Jellyfish

Salt & Pepper Calamari

Stir-Fried Pea Sprouts w/ Egg and Tofu

Sesame Ball + Macao Style Egg Custard

Overall, very pleased to finally have Dim Sum in the South Bay that’s on par with the SGV!

Notes:

The Sesame Ball and Macao Style Egg Custard are separate orders, but we had to flag someone to check on the order because after 90+ minutes they hadn’t arrived.

The Marinated Jellyfish was bland; it was marinated in a hint of chili oil, but needed something else – I’m used to a vinegar-based version. This lacked flavor and was all texture: chewy.

Service is via smartphone; each table has a unique QR code to access the menu and order. Flagging staff is hit or miss, and service requests were not always promptly fulfilled.

English menu does not indicate the number of items per order, and while most items have pictures, the pictures are not representative of the item number.

We arrived about 5-10 minutes before their scheduled 10:00am opening, but they did not open the door or begin seating until 5-10 minutes after 10:00am.

[chienrouge]

Glad to hear it. Some good picks I haven’t tried. If they have the fried shrimp with the rice noodle roll get it. The Peking duck plate is good in Pasadena, served w buns. Those har gow with 2 large whole shrimp inside are awesome. Also enjoy those crab buns don’t see that everywhere.

[maccrogenoff]

Thank you very much for this post.

Our regular dim sum restaurant, Elite in Monterey Park, had a fire. On Yelp it says that they are scheduled to reopen in December 2023 but we all know about construction delays.

We usually go to the Torrance Farmer’s’ Market on Tuesday’s so we’ll check out Lunasia.

[Chemicalkinetics (For the Horde!)]

I think i was there just 2-3 months ago. This is the one near by the nice Hitachiya store. I thought Lunasia was ok, but then I have a different taste ranking than many people anyway. I have had Lunasia from several locations, and I never particular love them.

[Chemicalkinetics (For the Horde!)]

@maccrogenoff

they are scheduled to reopen in December 2023

Finger cross. Thanks.

[strongoxman]

Do you know of a better spot for dim sum in the South Bay area? I don’t. Closest options, otherwise, are all the way in Cerritos, Westminster or SGV, which is quite the drive for anyone in PV or the Beach Cities.

Lunasia Torrance isn’t the favorite dim sum spot (that’s Sea Harbour), but it’s solid, and head and shoulders above what else has been in the surrounding area. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but this should satisfy anyone in the South Bay who doesn’t want to be a road warrior.

[ipsedixit]

@strongoxman

Marinated Jellyfish

I always find jellyfish to be an odd menu item for dim sum.

As an appetizer for a banquet dinner? Sure.

Dim sum? Not so sure.

[Chemicalkinetics (For the Horde!)]

Got it. Got it. It is solid like you said. No better recommendation from that area. Thanks for your report.

[strongoxman]

I’ve had it at 888 during dim sum where it was in a chili vinegar. Texture-wise it occupies the same space as tripe for me, like chewy noodles, but during dim sum I enjoy it as a brighter contrast to the heavier, more savory flavors and textures. Lunasia’s version was just far too flavorless and bland. We barely touched it. Waste of $10.

[ipsedixit]

I think Sea Harbour has taken their jellyfish dimsum offering off the menu.

[strongoxman]

I’m not sure if I’ve had it at Sea Harbour or not; 888 may or may not still offer it, but I won’t be finding out because I will not return there ever since they stayed open and served (poorly, slowly) in grossly unsanitary conditions without working hot water during Lunar New Year 2020 . Gross.

[strongoxman]

Another meal, this time for dinner! Same legend as before: = Miss, = Highlight

Cordyceps Flower Chicken Soup
This was okay, but there were a lot of sharp little bones! Very hard to enjoy a bowl of soup like that.

Yang-Chow Pork and Shrimp Fried Rice
This was very good! We liked the amount of cabbage and bean sprouts in it.

Crispy Shrimp Roll
We loved this one! It’s served with mayonnaise, so very similar to the well-loved “crystal shrimp” we always used to order at 888 Seafood in Rosemead.

Deep-Fried Calamari with Salt & Pepper
Just as good as the last time!

Beef Tripe with Scallion Sauce
Just as good as the last time!

Stir-Fried Pea Sprouts with Egg & Fried Tofu
Just as good as the last time!

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs
This one was good, but a lot of bones. Luckily most were soft enough to chew, but not all of them were. We did like that the sweet and sour sauce wasn’t too sweet. Next time I’d like to try the Sweet and Sour with either pork or chicken instead.

Mongolian Beef
I’ve never had Mongolian Beef with red chili oil before, and I really liked it! Quite the nice spicy surprise!

Lunasia Seafood Stir Fry
This was quite good, as well! Seafood included shrimp, scallops, calamari, fish and lots of those little whitebait. Yummy!

[ipsedixit]

@strongoxman

Yang-Chow Pork and Shrimp Fried Rice
This was very good! We liked the amount of cabbage and bean sprouts in it.

Bean sprouts? That’s different.

[Sasha]

So they serve dim sum as well as dinner dishes at dinnertime?

[Fattydumplin]

Yep! And agree with @strongoxman that their cooked dishes are generally very well executed with high quality ingredients!

[chienrouge]

Nice job !

Personally I like the rice noodle dim sum with the crispy long shrimp inside even better than the regular crispy shrimp. Hell, both work !

[strongoxman]

Is it really, though? Bean sprouts are frequently included in fried rice in my experience.

[strongoxman]

Their menu is all-day.

[Sasha]

Unusual for a dim sum place. But nice to have the option.

[strongoxman]

Here’s the full menu for the Torrance location:

English
Chinese